Book Review: Cranwood by J. Bryer

Sep28

Abby Hill and her mother have moved to England to help her grandmother run the inn she owns in Cranwood. However, Abby Hill isn’t a normal sixteen-year-old girl. No, no, no. She hears/sees dead people and tries to save the ones they warn her are in trouble!

For example, David, the cute neighbour in the village. Though she struggles with her visions, Abby is desperate to help everyone she can. When a particular haunting spirit warns her of friend in trouble, Abby will have to figure out who to ask for help or if she can try to do it all on her own.

The harsh reality: Well, I don’t have anything nice to say about this book, it’s terrible and there’s noting Young Adult about it. The book is written in an elementary age range instead of fourteen+. I’m talking, ‘I’m having the best day ever!’ kind of sentences. There is a time and place for juvenile writing, and Young Adult fiction is not it.

For instance: Abby gets ‘mad’ that David hasn’t called her so she walks over to his house to see if he’s home. When he’s not, she pouts and hates her life until he finally calls which then the day suddenly becomes the best ever! I’m sorry, but nothing about that passage makes sense! How can a day be the best ever, when it clearly wasn’t?

Le sigh, the main problem is that the age range is all wrong for this book. If the author tweaked the characters age and made changes to the story that fit the writing range it might have a chance at working, but as is, it’s awful and I’m sorry for stating that. It’s not easy to hear but I grew so frustrated with the clunky language, thin plot and ignorant assumptions on people different from Americans. To top it off, Abby states how she’s been living in England for while, but her mother who must be English (because hello, the grandmother obviously is?), clearly only speaks like an American. It. Just. Doesn’t. Work.

And the cover? Beautiful, but honey there is no way that girl is sixteen. Try twelve and you’ve got yourself a better start. Make like a knitter and rip it up. Start over and either read a lot more R. L. Stine for appropriate age range or start reading constantly current YA fiction to learn how it’s written. The ideas are there, but there needs to be much more practice.

Book Review: The Impossibility of Tomorrow by Avery Williams

Sep28

Please note this is the second and final book in the Incarnations series and does contain spoilers.

For my review on the first book, The Alchemy of Forever.

Seraphina continues her story as sixteen-year-old Kailey Morgan. She was supposed to finish her life, end everything…until she met Kailey’s next door neighbor Noah. Sera is smitten, but her ex Cyrus is still lurking after her. He’ll do anything to return Sera to the fold, even if it means killing Kailey’s classmates in a man hunt to find Sera…

Sera thought she wanted a final rest, but now her priorities have changed, if Cyrus has taken Noah then his demise is the only answer for her safety. No one can be trusted and Sera lies on edge wondering who is truly who around her. She must find Cyrus before he discovers who she is, and everyone’s life depends on it.

I have to say that I love how this is another two book YA series. They’re really starting to grow on me and I am pleasantly surprised that two is enough. There were a couple of other surprises in this book and I praise Williams for not making her characters cliché.

Sera as a character tries to stay strong, but it’s the lovely bit that is her downfall. I felt her reactions to many plot points were weak and I wish her fiercely willed parts were more prominent. Ironically, I found myself wishing the real Kailey Morgan had more of a voice on the book. I’d be interested to read a prequel of her story as she is quite the fascinating girl that should be written about more in YA.

Overall I enjoyed the series. It hits all the targets for modern day YA with a few more diversity boxes checked, which YA is sorely lacking. For a romance series I am a fan and would recommend this range to anyone looking for a different series to be sucked into for a couple of days.

Book Review: Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy

Sep24

I chose to use the Goodread’s book summary – due to the popularity of the Netflix show, I don’t want to give any other information away by mistake:

“The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel mill. A manhunt ensues—though the authorities aren’t sure if it’s a man they should be looking for.

Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a foreboding biotech facility owned by the Godfrey family—their personal fortune and the local economy having moved on from Pittsburgh steel—where, if rumors are true, biological experiments of the most unethical kind take place. Others turn to Peter Rumancek, a Gypsy trailer-trash kid who has told impressionable high school classmates that he’s a werewolf. Or perhaps it’s Roman, the son of the late JR Godfrey, who rules the adolescent social scene with the casual arrogance of a cold-blooded aristocrat, his superior status unquestioned despite his decidedly freakish sister, Shelley, whose monstrous medical conditions belie a sweet intelligence, and his otherworldly control freak of a mother, Olivia.

At once a riveting mystery and a fascinating revelation of the grotesque and the darkness in us all, Hemlock Grove has the architecture and energy to become a classic in its own right—and Brian McGreevy the talent and ambition to enthrall us for years to come.”**

**I don’t really agree with this statement.

My thoughts: I am a HUGE fan of the show. I have really enjoyed seeing the creative differences McGreevy did in transition from book to screen. I do agree with many of the reviews on Goodreads, I felt the show was a lot better than the book.

That aside, the preface was poorly written and McGreevy is a huge one for overwriting. My mind would get frustrated with the lack of punctuation and sentences that didn’t make sense. It seems ideas were all over the place and it was rare for a connection to be made.

However, there were a few gems scattered throughout the chapters. My breath would be caught by descriptions of the moon, or of the gothic beauty of Hemlock Grove. There are many bits in the story that are full of wonder and you can’t help but be sucked into the mystery in this town.

The book left me wanting more answers. It really has the potential to be a great book, but there are many bumps and sidetracks that keep the reader turning pages but we aren’t given any real answers, which is a letdown. The book is just as jumbled as the show. I highly suggest watching it because it’s just such a mess with your head – and addicting to watch! I feel that the book has the better ending, explanation wise, but it is so worth watching too.

Has anyone else jumped on the bandwagon and blown through the Netflix Original Series in three days like me? What do you think about it? Would you consider/have you read the book as well? Please let me know your thoughts, I’m kind of a fangirl about the hot mess!

Book Review: Reached by Ally Condie

Sep17

Please note this is the third book in the Matched series and does contain spoilers.

For my review on the first book, Matched.

For my review on the second book, Crossed.

They are all waiting for the Pilot.

The Pilot will be the one to save them.

Xander, Cassia and Ky are tied together, tighter than ever before. When the Rising makes it’s move and the Pilot stands above all else, is this truly what kind of world they are wishing to create?

But when the unsafe need to be saved, the world runs rampant. With no help near and judgement lurking, it’s a race to find a cure.

People start to die and hope dies with them.

When Ky falls ill, will Cassia have the strength to live without him if they don’t find the cure in time? As Xander continues as the bystander, he must make a choice for his future.

Time is running out.

Welcome to the free world.

I’ve been such a fan of this series, but I felt the finale was clichéd and expected. However, the ending didn’t turn out as I expected, which I think is a good thing. I think Condie gave her hardcore fans what they wanted. She stayed true to her characters and the series, but I can’t help but be left wanting more. Not more in the series, but more of an ending. More drama, more explosions, more something. Not a little perfect Tiffany’s wrapped gift.

I’m glad I stuck through until the end. I have seriously loved how paper becomes much more than just an expensive currency. The limited use of words and how the ability to learn how to write being outlawed are bits of the books that people need to be paying attention to now.

They’re the bits that will become our future if we’re not careful. I do love this series, when you stop and think about the small things within the books, there is so much hidden that we need to be aware of for the future. It’s not as far off as we think.

Book Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGerry

Sep14

Echo Emerson used to be one of the popular girls. Talented in art, with long gorgeous red hair, the tall girl with the interesting name had the quarterback boyfriend and everything it seemed.

Then there was the night her mother tried to kill her. Echo has no memories of the evening, but the scars that grace her arms will never let her forget. Now an outcast, with an even more over bearing father, due to have a new baby with Echo’s former babysitter – yeah- it’s not as if her life could get any worse.

Noah Hutchins is a product of the foster care system. Dark and foreboding, he’s shed his basketball star rep for drugs and looking every evening for a new one night stand. His only pressure for getting on the straight and narrow are his younger brothers, taken from him after his parent’s tragic death.

Brought together but their pesky guidance counsellor, Echo and Noah try to repel each other until they discover how much they’ve lost. Both have secrets, both are so alone. But together they could find the answers that will help them move on from their haunting past.

This is fantastic romance YA! A round of applause for McGarry and Harlequin! I loved how this book was the perfect blend of teenage angst and toned down traditional adult romance novel. Only disclaimer – lots of foul language, so not for tweens.

This is a romance with heart. This is falling in love that isn’t clichéd, cheesy or unrealistic. There is vulnerability with both of the characters and their back-stories are engagingly brilliant! Ridiculous and fantastic – Pushing the Limits is a true romance book that is so much more than just the love of two lead characters. The love of family is stronger and I can’t recommend this book enough for romance junkies!

The rest of the series follows Noah’s best friends lives in separate books. I love the idea and can’t wait for the last book to be published in the fall!

Book Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

Sep10

Forced to move to Japan to live with her aunt, there is only so much prep American sixteen-year-old Katie Greene can do.

Learning Japanese, adapting to a new school system culturally and making friends is the least of Katie’s worries. Getting over her mother’s sudden death and wondering about why her father left her only adds to turning her world upside down.

Then there’s Tomohiro. With a bad boy reputation over publicly breaking up with his latest girlfriend, Katie is drawn to this tortured soul. His art is his soul and soon he is Katie’s. Alone no longer the two connect across pages of Ink.

But there lurks a danger in the dark pigments. What Tomohiro can draw is hungry for Katie. As the pair tries to hide Tomo’s talents from exploitation, she wonders if their love can conquer his curse.

I loved the premise of Katie’s adventures in Japan. Can you imagine leaving the country of your birth because the only family you had was abroad? Not only that, but having to learn a completely new language and progress in such a short timeframe made the read fantastic. I love how Sun integrated Japanese words with English ones (she also includes a glossary). Even without the romance the book would have been a hit with me.

Now, the romance bit. It’s a bit clichéd for my liking. Too sudden and not entirely believable. The supernatural elements were enjoyable and have left me questions of wanting to know more about some of the other characters. I just wish the romance parts weren’t so expected.

Other than that, Ink is a refreshingly different YA book. For a debut in a series it has a lot going on and will keep readers wondering what exactly is going on. Plus the illustrations that are littered through the pages bring so much character to the piece. It’s beautiful to own as much as it is to read without being overdone.